Sthala Mahātmyam
Kedarnath, set at about 3,583 metres in the Garhwal Himalayas near the source of the Mandakini, is the highest of the twelve Jyotirlingas and one of the Char Dham; its lingam is a distinctive conical rock. Its foremost legend links it to the Pandavas, who, seeking to atone for the bloodshed of Kurukshetra, went in search of Shiva. Evading them, Shiva took the form of a bull and dived into the ground; the hump surfaced at Kedarnath while his other limbs appeared at four further shrines, together forming the Panch Kedar. Another tradition holds that the sages Nara and Narayana worshipped Shiva here, who granted them his eternal presence as a Jyotirlinga. The present stone temple is attributed to Adi Shankara (8th century). Because of Himalayan winter the shrine opens only from Akshaya Tritiya (April/May) to Kartik Purnima (November), when the deity is carried to Ukhimath for six months of worship. Maha Shivaratri and the ceremonial opening and closing of the doors are the chief observances.
